A One Sided Affair
by Brass Tacked
Summary: Companion piece to WHITE. A normal day in Riza Hawkeye's life takes a sudden turn when an unconscience, ash covered Edward Elric returns to Central. Post series & movie. WARNING Some Ed x Roy


Disclaimer: I only own the plot, nothing else!

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"One-Sided Affair" 

Hot water streamed out of the overhead faucet, turning the peach skin bright red. The smell of lavender floated through the air and soft groans of pleasure sounded. Blonde hair brushed wet shoulders. The eyes of the turned up face were closed allowing the streaming liquid to ease away the stress carried on the forehead and next to the small mouth. Muscles throughout the body relaxed as the hot jets pushed into different parts of the exposed skin. The occupant sighed as the water went from hot to lukewarm, and turned off the refreshing water before it got to cold.

After stepping out of the small stall a delicate hand grasped a soft, fluffy towel and gently dabbed off the moisture covering the cooling skin. After that was finished and the towel put back onto the hook, a black shirt was pulled over the head. Then the hands quickly worked through the damp hair and pulled it back into its customary position. Leaving the bathroom, the next thing put on were the pants and then the jacket was pulled into place.

This was followed by a sensible breakfast of eggs and toast accompanied by a glass of orange juice. Teeth were brushed and boots pulled on before it was time for the day to finally again.

Leaving the comfort of the quiet home behind Riza Hawkeye prepared herself for the ordeals ahead of her. There was no doubt that the men would be trying. A small yip made her look down at Black Hayate, who was following obediently at her heels, and the dog's eager face pulled a small smile from her lips.

Straightening her uniform one last time she turned a corner and came to a controlled stop. Silence filled the entry to the crowded military headquarters and in the middle of it all was one golden head. The legendary alchemist known as Fullmetal was stretched, spread eagle across the center of the floor, unconscious. His skin was blackened with ash and blood seeped from hundreds of small cuts scattered across his back. It was shocking to see him there and she could not bring herself to move.

It had been three years since she had last seen him. She remembered the moment well, down to the feeling of the steering wheel in her hands. The image of Edward Elric and Roy Mustang exchanging farewells, at the time not knowing that it would be there last, sprang into her mind. She knew that he had returned a year ago, when there was an invasion from the sky, but those were just rumors. The only one who knew what had happened had once again shut himself off from society.

Thinking of that man just caused a pang in her heart.

Finally the past caught up with the present and she was freed from the invisible chains created by her mind. The first thing she noticed then was everybody else. There must have been twenty people filling the room and they were all standing motionless with their mouths agape in shock. So she moved. After the first step she ran.

Soon she was next the boy; no he was a young man now. Shucking off her jacket she used a corner of it to wipe his face clean and then wrapped it around his upper torso, relieved to see that the chest was gently rising and falling. Turning she started barking out orders to those surrounding her, heedless of military rank.

Soon the entirety of headquarters was in a flurry. A medical team rushed into the marble floored room and soon secured Edward to a stretcher. Riza could not help but notice that the boy had grown as his pale form was carried past her. Suddenly there was a small pocket of peace that she found herself in. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her mind to go blank for a moment; she allowed her body to just exist. Then she took off after the group of people carrying the fragile-looking alchemist.

…….

Two days passed before Edward began to show signs of life. They had been two long days for Riza Hawkeye. Her normally pristine uniform was wrinkled, her hair was mussed, and her eyes were sunken and surrounded by bruised skin. She had not left the side of the hospital bed since Ed had been covered by the sheets after the doctor had given him a thorough exam. Several of the cuts had needed stitching, other than that the young Elric was in perfect health. The only thing no one understood was the alchemist's unconscious state.

Worry had kept her there for two days; it had consumed her since first seeing his prone form spread across the marble floor. Others had tried to drag her away, to make her rest. Yet she insisted on staying. She kept telling herself that it was for Edward, but she could not deny that a part of it was because of _him_. She knew that if _he _was to ever come back, it would be Ed that he would visit first. She could not help but chastise herself for her selfishness.

She had been dozing in a chair when a soft moan brought her around to wakefulness. She watched as Ed started tossing around in the bed, soft words escaping from his lips. Straining she caught a few of them.

"Al…Al…stop Al! No, its…erous! Al, come ba….nooo!"

The fear in his voice shook her. It became worse when the words faded and the screaming began. She could not take it anymore; it was just too painful to see him in that state. Reaching out she grasped his arms and gently shook. It took less than a moment for the golden eyes to snap open, full of confusion and sadness. She just looked down at him, waiting for his mind to clear from the clouds of sleep.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?" The voice was harsh from sleep, but confusion also infused each syllable. Before she had a chance to say anything back, he grabbed her jacket and started to speak again. This time there was no confusion, but instead only fear. "Al! Where's Al? Where is he!"

There was a crazed look to him that scared her. It scared her so much that she had no idea how to react. Instead she just watched as Ed's hands twisted into the fabric of her shirt. She listened to him yell for his brother. Then she held him when his yells turned to sobs. She knew that Ed had already figured out that Al was not there, that the younger Elric had been left behind. She held the golden head as his tears dried and he fell back into a restless sleep.

……

He slept for three more hours and this time woke up on his own. Hawkeye watched as he pulled himself up into a sitting position and looked over at her. She knew his sharp eyes missed nothing about her appearance. A questioning brow tilted up in a manner that reminded her of another man, so much so that she felt her heart pang. Instead of answering the unvoiced question she merely looked over at him with soft, brown eyes.

That was all it took for him to let go of his fragile control. A single tear trekked a path down his face when he started talking. He told her of Al's demise, of passing through the gate once more, unsure of how it happened. At the end his eyes had leaked several more tears and then dried once more. Hers were the one's pooling with unshed tears of sorrow. Instead of letting them fall she gathered herself together and announced that she would go get him a meal.

She walked quickly from the room, her back perfectly strait, towards the dining barracks. Judging by her demeanor no one would expect the turmoil that she felt inside. Half of what Edward had said made no sense to her. He had talked of a man named Hitler and of explosions falling from the sky. What she had understood filled her with sorrow. Al had been killed in an explosion, one that should have claimed Edward's life as well. Yet it had not, instead something or someone decided that it was time for Ed to return to his home without his brother to accompany him.

Her mind was so occupied with her thoughts that she did not notice the person approaching from the other end of the hallway until he was less than three steps away. It was then that her head snapped up and her heart turned over in her chest. Black hair fell over the handsome face, a velvety black eye held a centuries worth of turmoil. The other eye was covered by a simple patch, hiding where he had been injured by the alchemist Archer, because she had not gotten there in time.

Her senses burned for him. She could smell his scent, sandalwood with an undertone of ash, it had not changed since she first met him and she knew that she would be remembering it in her dreams that night. Neither of them moved for several moments, they just stood there facing each other. Then he opened his mouth and uttered one word, "Edward?"

She pulled herself together and prepared to answer the many questions that had been in his voice. Standing ramrod straight she reported to the man everything she knew about Ed's current situation. She could not help but notice the sorrow that filled Roy Mustang's eye when she delivered the news on Al. There was something else that gleamed in that black pool. It was something that she did not understand, but made her heartbreak. After recounting what Edward had told her, she pointed him towards the hospital room occupied by the blonde.

He did not say anything in return, just gave her a nod and walked off in the direction of Edward's room. She stood there watching his back until it disappeared around a corner. Her heart did yet another turn at the thought that he was back and she vowed to herself that this time she would not let him leave her behind again.

Turning back onto her previous course she kept her back straight, chin high, and face carefully blank. Inside she was a bindle of nerves, confusion, sadness, and hope.

…..

With a tray filled with food in hand she approached the room where the two strongest alchemists in Central, perhaps the world, were quietly speaking with one another. Deciding that she did not wish to interrupt them at an inopportune moment, she walked past the door and looked through the window instead.

A gasp escaped her lips and the tray slipped through her fingers as her heart broke. It was an impossible scene that her eyes beheld; it was something that her mind attempted to deny. She tried to pull her eyes away from the two figures on the bed, but found that she did not possess the strength to do so.

They were holding each other, Ed's eyes were dripping with heaven's rain and Roy was carefully kissing each drop off of his face. Finally the younger of the two turned his head slightly and caught the other's lips with his in a tender, soul wrenching kiss.

A soft voice pulled her away from the sight that was slowly tearing out her insides. She looked over at the girl that had gone unnoticed; shocked to see that it was Winry Rockbell. What the girl said stuck itself into Riza Hawkeye's heart for the rest of her life.

"Its hard, isn't it, to be in a one sided love affair?"

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A/N: So that was my first attempt at a FMA fic, I hope it was okay. I was thinking of writing a longer story based off of this one, but following Ed and Roy's relationship. Please tell me what you think, reviews are always welcome! 


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